Toonsylvania
Encyclopedia
Toonsylvania is an animated television series, which ran for 2 seasons in 1998 on FOX's Saturday morning cartoon block (usually placed in a block called "The No Yell Motel" that contained scary kids shows such as Goosebumps
and Eerie, Indiana
) in its first season, then was moved to Tuesday afternoons from September 14, 1998 until December 21, 1998, when it was cancelled. Reruns aired until 2000. It was produced in part by Steven Spielberg
, following in the footsteps of his previous animated series, Tiny Toon Adventures
and Animaniacs
. Much like Animaniacs, the show had recurring cartoon series that appeared in each episode. Unlike Animaniacs, Toonsylvania didn't have a wide range of characters and almost every episode had the same cartoon segments.
), his assistant Igor (voiced by Wayne Knight
) who always sets out to prove that he's the real genius instead of Dr. Vic, and their dim-witted Frankenstein monster known as Phil (voiced by Brad Garrett
). Before the second cartoon, there is an animated vignette where Igor is on the couch with Phil and tries to fix the TV remote, but in every episode there's a new problem with it (a running gag akin to the couch gags seen on The Simpsons
).
After that, there is a cartoon series called "Night of the Living Fred", about a family of zombies (sometimes, a parody of a B-horror movie would air instead of a "Night of the Living Fred" cartoon). This segment was created by Mike Peters, a Pulitzer Prize
-winning cartoonist.
After that is a short segment called "Igor's Science Minute", where Igor gives a science lesson (be it a musical piece or a spoken piece) that always ends in disaster. The final segment is "Melissa Screetch's Morbid Morals", where Phil the Frankenstein monster does something bad and Igor punishes him by reading a tale involving a bratty girl named Melissa Screetch (voiced by Nancy Cartwright
of Simpsons fame) who doesn't heed the warnings of adults (usually given by her mother) and gets punished one way or the other for it.
In season 2, Bill Kopp and Jeff DeGrandis left the show and were replaced by former Animaniacs writer Paul Rugg. The series' format changed into more of a sitcom style, with Igor, Dr. Vic and Phil interacting with a variety of new characters, including a snooping next-door neighbor Seth Tuber (voiced by Lost in Space
s Jonathan Harris
), who was based on Norman Bates from the movie Psycho. He interacted with his "immobile" mother by putting his hand over his mouth and talking into it. There was also a typical Transylvanian angry mob that was in fact a cheerful group of Beatles
-esque hipsters. Most of these new characters were voiced by Paul Rugg, who also improvised many of their lines.
The only other backup segment to re-materialize in season 2 was Melissa Screetch in a new segment called "The Melissa Screetch Show". Whenever Melissa was disappointed with a friend or a family member, she'd go home and cover herself under her bedsheets where she pretended to host a show. She then had her transgressor on as a guest star and often did away with them in an ironic manner.
This season also had a return to the B-movie parodies in the first season, featuring just one cartoon about America being over taken by aliens who want to force America to use the Metric System. The lead alien was voiced by Billy West
effecting a French Accent, making the segment a parody of American xenophobia.
for the Game Boy Color
in 2000.
and released by Toy Island and Burger King
distributed toys based on Toonsylvania in their kids' meals for a short period of time.
Goosebumps
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations...
and Eerie, Indiana
Eerie, Indiana
Eerie, Indiana is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1991 to 1992 and then on syndication on Fox from 1997 to 1998. The series was created by José Rivera and Karl Schaefer, with Joe Dante serving as creative consultant.-Premise:...
) in its first season, then was moved to Tuesday afternoons from September 14, 1998 until December 21, 1998, when it was cancelled. Reruns aired until 2000. It was produced in part by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, following in the footsteps of his previous animated series, Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
and Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
. Much like Animaniacs, the show had recurring cartoon series that appeared in each episode. Unlike Animaniacs, Toonsylvania didn't have a wide range of characters and almost every episode had the same cartoon segments.
Synopsis
A typical episode of Toonsylvania starts with a cartoon featuring the adventures of Dr. Vic Frankenstein (voiced by David WarnerDavid Warner (actor)
David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
), his assistant Igor (voiced by Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight
Wayne Eliot Knight is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor perhaps best known for his role as Newman in the TV sitcom Seinfeld...
) who always sets out to prove that he's the real genius instead of Dr. Vic, and their dim-witted Frankenstein monster known as Phil (voiced by Brad Garrett
Brad Garrett
Bradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
). Before the second cartoon, there is an animated vignette where Igor is on the couch with Phil and tries to fix the TV remote, but in every episode there's a new problem with it (a running gag akin to the couch gags seen on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
).
After that, there is a cartoon series called "Night of the Living Fred", about a family of zombies (sometimes, a parody of a B-horror movie would air instead of a "Night of the Living Fred" cartoon). This segment was created by Mike Peters, a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning cartoonist.
After that is a short segment called "Igor's Science Minute", where Igor gives a science lesson (be it a musical piece or a spoken piece) that always ends in disaster. The final segment is "Melissa Screetch's Morbid Morals", where Phil the Frankenstein monster does something bad and Igor punishes him by reading a tale involving a bratty girl named Melissa Screetch (voiced by Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Campbell Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons...
of Simpsons fame) who doesn't heed the warnings of adults (usually given by her mother) and gets punished one way or the other for it.
In season 2, Bill Kopp and Jeff DeGrandis left the show and were replaced by former Animaniacs writer Paul Rugg. The series' format changed into more of a sitcom style, with Igor, Dr. Vic and Phil interacting with a variety of new characters, including a snooping next-door neighbor Seth Tuber (voiced by Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
s Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
), who was based on Norman Bates from the movie Psycho. He interacted with his "immobile" mother by putting his hand over his mouth and talking into it. There was also a typical Transylvanian angry mob that was in fact a cheerful group of Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
-esque hipsters. Most of these new characters were voiced by Paul Rugg, who also improvised many of their lines.
The only other backup segment to re-materialize in season 2 was Melissa Screetch in a new segment called "The Melissa Screetch Show". Whenever Melissa was disappointed with a friend or a family member, she'd go home and cover herself under her bedsheets where she pretended to host a show. She then had her transgressor on as a guest star and often did away with them in an ironic manner.
This season also had a return to the B-movie parodies in the first season, featuring just one cartoon about America being over taken by aliens who want to force America to use the Metric System. The lead alien was voiced by Billy West
Billy West
William Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
effecting a French Accent, making the segment a parody of American xenophobia.
Episodes
Season 1- Darla Doily-Demon Doll/The Importance of Being Urnie/The Boogeyman'll Get You Melissa
- Blind Date of Frankenstein/Football and Other Body Parts/Stop Making Ugly Faces
- Love Potion Number Nein/Attack of the Iguana People/Teeth for Two
- Baby Human/Earth Vs. Everything/Little Screetchin Riding Hood
- Built for Speed/A Kiss Before Dying Unless of Course You're Already Dead/Go Stand in the Corner Young Lady
- Spawn of Santa/Dead Hard/Don't Swallow the Seeds Silly
- Doom With a View/Dead Dog Day Afternoon/Here There Be Monsters
- Love Hurts/One for Mall and Mall for One/Plain as the Nose on Your Face
- Phil Feel Smart/Voodoo Vacation/Melissa, Don't Spoil Your Appetite
- WereGranny/The Lobster of Party Beach/The Screetchy Little Mermaid
- A Family Plot/A Zombie is Born/Melissa and The Three Bears
Music
The music for the series was written by Michael Tavera, Keith Baxter, Christopher Neal Nelson, John Paul Given, Christopher Klatman and Thom Sharp. The main title song was written by Steve Bernstein and Julie Bernstein with lyrics by Paul Rugg.Cast
- Wayne KnightWayne KnightWayne Eliot Knight is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor perhaps best known for his role as Newman in the TV sitcom Seinfeld...
- Igor - Brad GarrettBrad GarrettBradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
- Phil - David WarnerDavid Warner (actor)David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
- Dr. Vic Frankenstein - Nancy CartwrightNancy CartwrightNancy Campbell Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons...
- Melissa Screetch - Matt FrewerMatt FrewerMatthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
- Dedgar Deadman - Valery Pappas - Additional Voices
- Billy WestBilly WestWilliam Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
- Newark, Additional Voices - Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
- Additional Voices - Jonathan HarrisJonathan HarrisJonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
- Seth Tuber - Tom KennyTom KennyThomas James "Tom" Kenny is an American actor, voice actor and comedian. He is especially known for his long-running-role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the television series of the same name, as well as the live-action character Patchy the Pirate, Gary the Snail and the French narrator based on...
- Ace Deuce - Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
- Additional Voices - Charlie Adler - Additional Voices
- Sandy FoxSandy FoxSandra Marie "Sandy" Fox is an American voice actress who has had numerous roles in various animated cartoon and Japanese anime series, and video games....
- Darla Doily, Baby Bear - Corey BurtonCorey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
- Death - Bill KoppBill KoppBill Kopp is an American animator and film director who animated the Whammy on the 1980s game show Press Your Luck, and voiced the title character on Nelvana's Eek! The Cat and Kutter in The Terrible Thunderlizards, which he created with Savage Steve Holland...
- Additional Voices - Jocelyn Blue - Mama Bear
- Cam ClarkeCam ClarkeCameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices...
- Additional voices - Jess HarnellJess HarnellJess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...
- Additional voices
Crew
- Bill KoppBill KoppBill Kopp is an American animator and film director who animated the Whammy on the 1980s game show Press Your Luck, and voiced the title character on Nelvana's Eek! The Cat and Kutter in The Terrible Thunderlizards, which he created with Savage Steve Holland...
- Executive Producer, Writer, Creator ("B-Movie"), Voice Drector - Jeff DeGrandisJeff DeGrandisJeff DeGrandis is an American animation director and producer. He is currently Supervising Producer on Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, and Ni Hao Kai Lan...
- Producer, Director - Mike Peters - Creator ("Night of the Living Fred"), Writer
- Lee MendelsonLee MendelsonLee Mendelson is an American television producer. He is best known as the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials....
- Creative Consultant ("Night of the Living Fred") - Chris Otsuki - Creator ("Melissa Screetch"), Writer
- Vinny Montello - Writer
- Steve Ochs - Writer
- Martin OlsonMartin OlsonMartin Olson is a comedy writer, television producer, stage director and composer. He is also a playwright and poet known for comedic and unusual subject matter and known as an original member of the notorious "Boston Comedy Scene."...
- Writer - Keith BaxterKeith BaxterKeith Baxter may refer to:*Keith Baxter , Welsh actor*Keith Baxter , British musician...
- Writer - Karl Toerge - Writer
- Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
- Executive Producer
Availability
- In August 1999, a VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
video of Toonsylvania was released, which contained the episodes "Darla Doiley, Demon Doll," "Voodoo Vacation," "Baby Human," "Dead Dog Day Afternoon," "Igor's Science Minute (Clone or Be Cloned, The Brain, Earthquake Boogie, and Gravity)," "Melissa Screetch's Morbid Morals (The Boogeyman, Stop Making Ugly Faces, Here There be Monsters, and Melissa Screetch: Earth Ambassador)," "Phil's Brain," "Football...and other Body Parts," "Bang!," and "WereGranny". The video is currently out of print and DreamworksDreamWorksDreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
has yet to announce any plans to put the series on DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Video Game
A Toonsylvania video game was released by UbiSoftUbisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
in 2000.
Merchandise
Toonsylvania action figures and playsets were developed by Pangea CorporationPangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation is an entertainment development and creative services company that specializes in the animation and toy industries. The company was part of the original creative team that launched the wildly popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for Playmates Toys and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, the...
and released by Toy Island and Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
distributed toys based on Toonsylvania in their kids' meals for a short period of time.
External links
- Toonsylvania cartoon list at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....